Marcellus middle school parent shares story of Peruvian mummy

Marcellus, NY -- “Once in a while we are asked to become involved with something very, very special,” Jon Ferguson told sixth-grade pupils and faculty at Driver Middle School in Marcellus.

Ferguson, father of Driver seventh-grader Colleen Ferguson, was part of a Carrier Corp. engineering team that in 1996 designed an innovative refrigeration unit to preserve the mummified remains of a young girl found preserved high in the Andes Mountains in Peru.

“It was an incredible opportunity, it was an incredible honor,” he said.

Ferguson shared his story during an assembly Feb. 8 in Aitchison Auditorium.

The mummy, known as the Ice Maiden and nicknamed Juanita by Peruvians, was discovered in the high mountains of Peru by archeologist Johan Reinhart and his climbing partner Miguel Zarate. It is considered the best preserved pre-Columbian mummy ever discovered.

The mummy is the remains of a 13- to14-year-old girl who had been sacrificed to Inca gods 500 years ago. The mummy remained frozen for centuries until a volcanic eruption melted the ice, leading to Reinhart’s discovery at the ancient Inca burial ground.

Carrier Corporation was called upon to design freezer units to preserve the mummy. Ferguson and his team built two refrigeration cases within 90 days.

Ferguson’s presentation was a blend of science, history, cultural understanding, engineering concepts and career exploration. It included a slide program, and students had a chance to ask questions.